Highlighting abuse and safeguarding issues in psychological therapies. Campaigning for stronger regulation in counselling and psychotherapy.

UKCP, IGAP and John Smalley: New investigation needed

There’s been yet another twist in my exploration of the John Smalley case, a mishandled UKCP investigation into a Jungian analyst with the Independent Group of Analytical Psychologists. Josefa Bayes-King is a former IGAP member, now an academic living in Australia. She has left comments on my blog posts, stating her own concerns about the effect of Smalley’s statements on the reputation of the late Dr Anne Maguire. She also stating that she has contacted the UKCP asking them to investigate the ethics and practices of the IGAP.

Obviously, I’m not a position to ascertain the truth of what happened in Smalley’s supervision, but the IGAP should be. Mr Smalley may no longer be registered with the UKCP but he is still an IGAP member, and still advertises his services on their website.

It seems to me that there are two investigations that need to take place. The UKCP needs to investigate the IGAP, as called for by Ms Bayes-King. Also, the IGAP needs to investigate Mr Smalley.

Questions for the IGAP investigation into Mr Smalley

1. Mr Smalley claims that his misconduct was sanctioned by his supervisor, the now-deceased Dr Anne Maguire. However, he did not provide any firm evidence of this. The complainant’s wife submitted a statement to the UKCP saying that she had spoken to Dr Maguire and does not think she did so. In addition, Ms Bayes-King does not seem to believe that Dr Maguire would have done anything of the sort. Hopefully, a definitive answer should lie in the late Dr Maguire’s records.

2. Mr Smalley told the UKCP panel, “It’s not my practice to keep notes and there’s no professional requirement to do so. Any notes that I did hold in relation to the case would have been destroyed when the relationship terminated.” Did Mr Smalley destroy notes or fail to make them in the first place? Either act would normally be considered professional misconduct.

Questions for the UKCP investigation into the IGAP

1. The IGAP found that there was “no case to answer” against Mr Smalley. The UKCP’s Central Final Appeals Panel found this decision to be “perverse and incorrect”. The UKCP’s Central Complaints Process went on to find seven allegations proven against Mr Smalley. How did IGAP come to this original conclusion?

2. Why is IGAP’s complaints procedure not listed on its website?

3. Why is IGAP Code of Ethics not displayed on its website? Why, when I e-mailed them asking to see a copy of their Code of Ethics, did they not e-mail me a copy?

5. Why, when I e-mailed the IGAP Ethics Committee inviting them to investigate the dispute over Mr Smalley’s supervision, and also his claim to have destroyed his notes, did they decline to investigate?

6. While Mr Smalley was under investigation for his misconduct, he was not suspended, and does not appear to have had any conditions on his practice as far as anyone can gather. What factors were taken into account when deciding not to do so?

Anyone wishing to e-mail the IGAP Ethics Committee to make their views known can do so here.

Likewise, the UKCP Chair Janet Weisz can be e-mailed here and the chief executive David Pink here